CORRELATION BETWEEN BODY MASS INDEX AND VITAL SIGNS

Abstract Objective: The study aims to estimate the correlation between BMI and vital signs (systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate (pulse), respiratory rate, temperature)in adolescents to ascertain if changes in BMI cause variations in vital signs. Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 300 male adolescents of Govt. High School Kahna. The sample size was calculated using Epi-Info sample size calculator. The subjects were submitted to a standardized method of measurement of weight, height and vital signs. The data was analyzed in IBM SPSS v21. Results: The results showed that16 subjects were identified as pre-obese and 141 were labeled as underweight whereas 69 students came out as pre-hypertensive. A significant bivariate Pearson correlation was found (P